First up, the trio of Morgan Pressel, Ai Miyazato and Paula Creamer:
But wait - here the threesome above is joined by a fourth. Now with twice the Miyazato! (Mika):
Here are Brittany Lincicome, Belen Mozo and Michelle Wie:
Here is Lexi Thompson getting ready to head to the party:
And we wrap up with Morgan and Jessica:
There is little information out there yet (at least that I could find) about The Squeeze, so hat tip to GolfSpelledBackwards.com for providing this bit of info: Jack Nicklaus and Phil Mickelson both recommend the movie. If that's not enough to pique your interest, well, then just take another look at the photos on this page of JIllian!
The Squeeze is being described as a "caper movie," about an older gambler who discovers a young golf phenom and turns him into a golf hustler.
Does Jillian Murray play golf in real life? She confirmed to me on Twitter that she does. I did find something interesting when searching for info about the movie: an ad on an industry website for a "golf double" for Murray. (The ad was placed back during shooting, obviously, so don't try to apply!) The ad stated one should apply "only if you are a great female golfer and you resemble (Jillian Murray's) features, looks, and close to her height."
I can think of many reasons why the movie makers would need a golf double for an actor even when that actor is a golfer in real life. The one that first comes to mind is that the character Jillian plays in the movie is a low-handicapper, maybe a scratch golfer, while in real life Jillian herself is not a low-handicapper. So there are some shots in the movie that require making sure the golf looks just right for the talent level of the character. (In the blurbs they gave on the movie, Nicklaus and Mickelson - see links above - actually cite the "authenticity" of the golf as one of the movie's positives.)
We'll probably find out exactly what Murray's golf experience and current skill level is when she is featured in the April issue of Golf Digest. Keep an eye out for that.
Where have we seen JIllian Murray before? She's had a couple television series roles: She played Portlyn on Disney Channel's Sonny With a Chance; and was part of the Awkward cast on MTV. Movies she's appeared in include American High School and the supernatural horror flick Forget Me Not.
Check out her IMBD page for more info, and watch for The Squeeze in April.
(Top photo via facebook.com/officialJillianMurray; other photos via Instagram/jillianmurrayofficial. You can also follow Jillian on Twitter.)
Beethoven's Ode to Joy, the final movement of the composer's Ninth Symphony, is one of the most famous pieces of music ever written. Sandra Gal and Hee Young Park are two of the greatest golfers in the world, and two people who, as is obvious from their social media accounts, love life. They are full of joy.
What better pairing than these two buddies combining their talents - Sandra on violin, "Rocket" on piano - on Ode to Joy?
This performance by what Sandra called the "Gal-Park Philharmonic Orchestra" took place in Gal's home recently, on the night of dinner that Sandra prepared for friends. Sandra posted a bit of their recital in two videos on Instagram:
Roll over, Beethoven, and tell Tchaikovsky the news: These girls rock!
Sandra shared on her Facebook page a preview of the dinner she was cooking this night:
And a photo of herself, Hee Young and Anna Nordqvist dining together:
Hey, wait a minute: Doesn't Anna play an instrument, too? Yes, she does, the violin. So why wasn't Anna taking part in the performance above, too? This tweet by Anna (retweeted by Gal) might provide a clue:
Oh boy... its been a while... more so a couple years since my violin days. Belong in the garage again... ☺️ pic.twitter.com/b7pxGbvVEr
— Anna Nordqvist (@ANordqvist) February 18, 2015But maybe, if Anna practices, then the next time we see the Gal-Park Philharmonic Orchestra it will include Nordqvist, too.
Australian teenager Su Oh is a winner in just her second start as a pro. Oh's professional career is off to a tremendous start: She finished second in her first start as a pro, and now first in her second start.
Oh (who used to go by Su-Hyun Oh but now by the shortened Su Oh) won the RACV Ladies Masters tournament, a co-sanctioned ALPG tournament that also serves as the season-opener for the 2015 Ladies European Tour.
Oh shot rounds of 69, 75, 72 and 69 to finish three shots ahead of the runners-up, Charley Hull, Katherine Kirk and Florentyna Parker. And Oh did it in style, finishing with four consecutive birdies to ensure her victory.
Just a week ago, Oh finished runner-up at the ALPG's Oates Victorian Open, her pro debut. This win gets her membership on the LET, and no doubt we'll be hearing more from Su in the year ahead.
The one with the most famous connection to golf is Caroline Wozniacki, one of two professional athletes who appear in the issue. Wozniacki, of course, dated Rory McIlroy for a while and they got very close to marriage before splitting. And Caroline, a top tennis player, took up golf herself during that time.
Here is a behind-the-scene video of Wozniacki's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue shoot:
One of the supermodels featured in the 2015 swimsuit issue is Nina Agdal, and Nina's love of golf is well-established. Visit her Instagram account and you'll find some golf pics and even some golf videos, such as these:
Want to see Nina in the swimsuit issue? Of course you do! Here's a video:
And the third golfer among the 2015 Sports Illustrated swimsuit models is Kelly Rorhbach - she played in college at Georgetown. Here's an image from Kelly's Instagram:
Kelly is one of the swimsuit issue rookies this year. She mentions golf in this video (she quit the golf team to focus on acting school):
Sparknord has battled injuries for years, almost since the time she announced her arrival on the golf scene back in 2009 with a pair of wins on the Ladies European Tour. She earned her LPGA Tour card soon thereafter, and appeared a player on the rise. But injuries, especially wrist problems, derailed her. She got back on track temporarily with a win in South Africa in 2013, but the wrist problems returned.
While her golf career went cold, her personal life was heating up, however. Skarpnord, from Norway, met Australian touring pro Richard Green. They fell in love. He occasionally caddied for her in her comeback attempts.
And just a couple weeks ago they got engaged. They also just moved into a house on the golf course where the Victorian Open was played. Here's the truly remarkable thing, though: The Victorian Open has both men's and women's tournaments that run concurrently, and Green won the men's tournament on the same day Skarpnord won the women's event! Amazing. That was just a few days after Green made an incredible hole-in-one albatross.
So welcome back to the winner's circle, Marianne. Congratulations on the recent big news, both on and off the course, and here's wishing her extended periods of health from now on.